Answers (326)

I am extremely jealous. What an amazing route you're doing. Nepal is fairly simple to get around, dependant on your trekking area. There are loads of trekking agents that you can hook up with once you arrive, I have used this particular guide on a few occasions and can recommend him.
His name is Gyan Bahadur Rana Magar - duragyan@yahoo.com.in
I have also referred him as a personal tea-house trekking guide to friends who were all as impressed.
Getting to Burma from there may be difficult, you might have to fly to Bangkok and then to an overland to Yangon. Having never been to Burma, but desperately wanting to, I can't really add any value here. You can then overland again up to the Golden Triangle and visit Chiang Mai. Be careful here - its a lovely and worth a visit but sadly also a place you need to be extremely aware of. Purchase your own water from the supermarkets and ensure the seals are valid. This is an extreme caution, (and one you should know for most of Asia anyway).
You can either then catch a train south and spend some time on the islands or you can overland again across to Laos (across the friendship bridge). You will need to arrange your visa prior as visa on arrival is difficult.
From Laos, you can then catch a boat down the Mekong through to Cambodia. Siam Reap is a must, and I also think a few days in Kep is worth it, you can boat to some of the islands which are spectacular.
I would leave Indonesia to last, it's the easiest place to travel around and you can keep it fairly loose. Start in Bali (and if time permits try to see a lot of the island including North West), maybe head to Nusa Lebongan, and my new favourite place..... (returned last week) is Flores! Stunning diving and snorkelling, very cheap and extremely laid back.
As for the blog - YES! Not only does it keep everyone updated, its a great way to pass time after a long day of travelling and it serves as a fantastic record to look back on. Worldnomads have a blog (free) which is easy to use and allows you to upload photos.
For accommodation as you go: www.agoda.com
I'm curious that you dont like the heat? These countries are hot.... about 7 years ago

Ah! The yoga capital of the world! Sounds like a great trip.
As a solo woman traveller, you just need to be aware of the different dangers there. Avoid walking alone of a night time and only travel in a public bus with a group. Otherwise travel in private transport arranged by the hotel and ensure someone always knows when you’re going.
The roads are busy with motorbikes and rickshaws and bag snatching is common . When in a rickshaw, keep your bags threaded through your arms which makes you less of a target. Motorbike riders drive up beside rickshaws and assess the accessibility of bags, if they’re really desperate they’re going to get it anyway, but if they see it as a struggle, they will leave you alone.
The footpaths are ok, but the curbs can be quite deep so be mindful when stepping out onto the road or you might see yourself coming home with a sprained ankle!
If you’re going during monsoon, this can also bring about some other “issues” that will add to your adventure. Such as slippery tiles etc. Take some good “reef shoes” that are not too slippery in the wet, but still keep your feet covered.
Monkeys…… Rabies vaccine is definitely a good idea! about 5 years ago

Definitely go for a visit to the old city in Chiang Mai, and maybe a few day trips using the centre as you base. I would suggest this rather than stay in outlying areas for safety. The health risks in Chiang Mai are not highly publicised, but take a look at http://thailandlandofsmiles.com/2011/03/30/thailand-travel-tragedies/ for some thoughts. Not to scare you - my background is in emergency assistance and we came across too many of these cases.
Some of the hotels in Chiang Mai are quite cheap, you can get a nice place for about $20 US per night like the Baan Thai Resort - which has aircon and wifi etc. Or you can go cheaper and not do with these luxuries (I go with aircon). Again, I always use Agoda for booking last minute, it means I can still get a little bit of luxury and not spend a fortune.
There are a few boat companies that do the Mekong boat, from memory the best one was simply called Mekong Cruise. I cant remember how much it cost or for how many days, but you might want to google and see if there is one that you can join a few others on. It might be a bit lonely by yourself.
Like you, I'm not a laze-by-the-beach person, but I love the water. Sunscreen is now my new daily mantra after returning from Indonesia and having a huge chunk of my back cut out (ouch) due to not applying waterproof sunscreen.......
On Flores, we went trekking in the mountains, walked to a waterfall and swam for hours, and we also hired a boat and motored around a million beautiful islands. And we drank beer (Bintang). about 7 years ago